


A Long Time Coming

by likehandlingroses



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comfort/Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 04:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20482952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likehandlingroses/pseuds/likehandlingroses
Summary: Percy has always believed that nothing can come between him and Penelope. But with the Ministry teetering on the edge of a Death Eater takeover, he can no longer ignore the hatred that's been lurking around every corner since they were children.





	A Long Time Coming

**February, 1993**

“It might get me next.”

“What?” Percy says, tracing the pink stripes on Penny’s camisole.

“The monster.”

His fingers stop in their tracks. 

“Nonsense,” he says, but the room is already growing colder, darker, smaller. “No, that won’t--you’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that,” Penny says, sitting up, her curls falling into her face. Percy sits up with her, an arm about her waist. 

“I do!” he insists. “I do know.”

He kisses her, but she looks more afraid than ever when he pulls away. 

“Percy…” she murmurs. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Percy says, pressing his lips to her cheek. “I won’t; I promise.” 

Nothing can touch them, Percy thinks, pushing back the nightmarish image of blood dripping from the walls. The cold sneers of emboldened Slytherin students. First years huddling together in the halls, hardly daring to turn corners. 

What do those things matter, compared to the way Penny’s smile warms him to the core, the feeling of her hand in his? The thrill of getting away with something every time they meet in an abandoned classroom? 

A monster feels so arbitrary, so unnecessary...so easily ignored. 

“Anyway,” he says, attempting a smile. “This is a  _ school _ , isn’t it? They’ll have it sorted out before anyone really gets hurt.”

* * *

**July, 1997**  
  


Percy sits down next to Penny on the end of her bed, handing her a cup of steaming jasmine tea. He can hardly recall how they arrived there...he remembers stopping by Penelope’s office at the end of the day and finding her standing over a hideous note scrawled into the wood on her desk. 

He’d grabbed ahold of her, saying words that probably hadn’t made any difference but had been all he could manage. The next thing he knew, he was standing over a whistling kettle, his cheeks wet with tears. 

Penny’s changed into her pajamas, her face still pale as a sheet. She nods absently when Percy mentions that he added honey instead of sugar (“that’s still what you prefer, I hope…”). The silence that follows feels entirely appropriate, but Percy can’t call it comfortable. 

“You don’t have to worry,” Penny finally says, her voice hoarse. “I’m off to Spain early next week. I have an aunt there; it’s been arranged. I was going to tell you tonight.”

“Oh.” He wants to say that’s good, that’s excellent, that’s a  _ wonderful _ plan, and _ is there anything he can do to help _ ? 

But all he can think is that without Penny, he’ll truly be all alone. They’ve not been properly in a relationship for years now, but they’ve remained friends. Sometimes friends who have spent more time arguing than anything else...but friends nonetheless. And to not have her around, to watch the world sink further into corruption and evil without her there...Percy isn’t sure how he’ll manage it. 

“What if I went with you?” he says suddenly, though he’s immediately disheartened by the fact that Penny looks sad rather than surprised by the suggestion. 

“You can’t do that, Percy,” she says evenly, moving to take a sip of her tea, but stopping before it reaches her lips. 

“Why not?” Percy presses. “I want to! There’s nothing here for me.” 

Penny shakes her head. “Your work--”

“My work?” Percy laughs bitterly. “My work isn’t worth anything. It’s games and lies and pretending, and all you ever win is the chance to do it more.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Penny says, fixing him with a fierce stare. “You know that. Or you used to.” 

“It’s no use, Penelope, the writing’s on the wall.” Percy stares at his hands. “Scrimgeour knows it, all the higher-ups know it...the Ministry is going to fall, and once it does--”

“--that’s when they’ll need you the most!” Penny says, shifting to properly face him, her tea threatening to spill over the edges of the still full mug. “I’m only running because I have to. You don’t. You could help.”

“No one wants my help--”

“--oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Penny says sharply. “You’re a pureblood in the Minister’s office. You could really change things. Quietly at first, I’d imagine...but it would be something! And if everyone who  _ could  _ do something  _ did _ do something...that would change the whole situation.”

She’s right. She usually is, even when it takes Percy a good long while to admit it. And perhaps--if he’d admitted certain things earlier--he could have done more.

“This shouldn’t be happening; it isn’t right,” Percy says, forbidding himself from crying again. “You’re my best friend, Penny, and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...I should have tried harder to stop this sort of thing…I always thought it was on the margins of society, that it couldn’t  _ possibly _ gain such traction...but I should have known. I should have done more.” 

“Well, you did hex Marcus Flint that one time. Then gave yourself a detention for it.” Penny’s smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes, but it’s enough, for now. 

“I’ll do more than that this time around,” Percy says fervently. “And when you come back--when this is all over--we’ll go to Hogsmeade--”

“--to Honeydukes?” Penny laughs, and it’s like the leaves are falling and he’s clutching a handful of carefully saved Sickles as they tramp off to Hogsmeade for the afternoon. 

“First thing, like always!” he says. “And I’ll buy you all the sweets you want and we’ll sit under the alcove at Puddifoot’s and eat them like we’re seventeen.”

He despises himself for the falter in his voice, but Penny’s eyes light up anyway. She leans into his side, and he wraps an arm around her, already missing her warmth. 

“It’ll be wonderful,” she says, and Percy presses a kiss to the top of her head. 

He’ll find a way to make it happen; he doesn’t have a choice. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This work is loosely inspired by Taylor Swift's "Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince."


End file.
